Senate committee passes different version of constitutional amendment proposal

Wednesday

Apr 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 30, 2008 at 8:01 AM

If the proposed constitutional amendment is to appear on November general election ballots, as supporters wish, the Senate and the House of Representatives will have to take action in the next several days.

Adriana Colindres

Nearly two weeks after putting off a vote on a measure that could give Illinoisans the power to recall top elected officials before their terms expire, a state Senate panel on Tuesday advanced a different version of the plan.

If the proposed constitutional amendment is to appear on November general election ballots, as supporters wish, the Senate and the House of Representatives will have to take action in the next several days.

Under that scenario, the House would have to work through the weekend. Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said the House would be willing to do that if the full Senate votes to put the amendment on the ballot. Under the legislature’s procedural rules, a Senate vote could happen no sooner than Thursday and a House vote could happen no sooner than Saturday.

But the Senate Executive Committee’s 12-1 vote Tuesday came amid questions about whether it was just another example of political gamesmanship in the State Capitol — this time, pitting Senate Democrats against House Democrats.

"It’s not the result of thoughtful deliberation among leaders who have decided that this is good for Illinois," said Sen. Dan Cronin, R-Elmhurst, the lead sponsor of the proposed constitutional amendment that cleared the Senate committee. "This is the result of some personal and perverse animosities among Democrats."

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives approved a separate proposal that would ask voters in November if they want to be able to recall from office top state officials, including members of the legislature. That’s the plan the Senate Executive Committee opted against voting on a couple of weeks ago.

But on Tuesday, Senate Democratic leaders positioned Cronin’s legislation so the committee could consider it. They chose Cronin’s measure over the House-approved proposal.

"I understand exactly what’s going on here," Cronin told committee members as they considered his proposed constitutional amendment, which he originally filed last August. "Yes, this is an 11th hour, contorted path toward recall."

Later, Cronin added: "I know that I’m being used. However, if being used results in the people getting a chance to debate recall, then use me."

The measure that the Senate committee advanced differs in a couple of ways from the proposed constitutional amendment that the House endorsed. It allows for recall of a larger number of public officials — not just members of the legislature and top statewide officials, but also judges and elected local government officials who get salaries.

In addition, it specifies that a governor and a lieutenant governor would have to be recalled from office together.

Sen. Rickey Hendon, a Chicago Democrat who is working with Cronin on the measure, said that makes sense because the Illinois governor and lieutenant governor get elected together.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn noted, however, that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are nominated separately in primary elections. They don’t get teamed up until the general election.

Quinn, a longtime supporter of recall, said he would support Cronin’s amendment proposal if it turns out to be the only remaining way to put the recall issue to voters this fall.

For the second time this month, Senate Democrats on the Executive Committee took verbal shots at Quinn, who recently traveled throughout the state and called on the Senate to permit voters to decide on the recall issue.

Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, told Quinn he had unfairly singled out the Senate for criticism.

"I just want to set the lieutenant governor straight as it relates to your trying to lambaste the Senate when, in fact, the House took all that time to send that joint resolution over here and did not want to give the Senate ample time to even deal with it in a timely manner. Now that’s what’s happening," said Jones, his voice rising.